How to Help Your Students Prepare for Exams
- 6 Amazing Tips For Online Teachers That Will Work Wonders!
EXAMS! I used to shiver whenever someone said this word out loud. All of us have gone through our share of stress, confusion, sleepless nights, and heartbreaking moments when it comes to exams. But then, later on, I came across this very thoughtful quote and it changed my perspective altogether.
“ You may encounter many defeats, but, you must not be defeated.”
This quote says it all. Failing an exam or scoring less is not the end of your life. As teachers, you aim to impart quality education so that your students can succeed in life. Encourage them to work hard and ace their exams and guide them through the whole thing. Most importantly, tell them that low grades do not define them and that you believe in them.
Furthermore, for tutors, getting children ready for exams can be somewhat of a balancing exercise. In addition to the fact that tutors have restricted class time, you need to decide just precisely how much assistance you should give your students.
Coaching institutes and tutors conduct a lot of exams in an attempt to prepare the students for bigger exams. Here are six amazing tips for tutors, teachers and coaching institutes out there that will work wonders!
1.Ideas and Models
Give them plenty of ideas regarding how they can prepare and memorize. It might be an exercise, a game, or a simple organization technique. Even if it preparing plenty of note cards, help them do it. Use flowcharts and diagrams and help them simplify tough topics. Break a topic down into capsule form so that they can digest it. You can model problem-solving methods in class and share them with your students. Along with the lessons and curriculum, teach them how to approach a question and how to tackle questions that are out of syllabus. With online teaching and virtual classrooms taking over, it has become easier for coaching institutes to implement ideas.
2.Identify Pain Points
It goes without saying that every kid is different. Numbers and me, we just don’t add up! I have always loved words. Similarly, every kid would have their own fears and pain points. You, as a tutor will be able to understand this through continuous evaluation and analysis. Understand where each student lacks confidence and help them accordingly. Another point to keep in mind is that while they may love a subject, there might be portions that confuse them. Find out the areas where your students lack confidence by communicating with them which brings us to our next point.
3.Communicate
In most of our previous blogs, we have underlined the importance of communication in one way or the other. Communication opens doors to understanding and you can help your students only by understanding them. Establish a rapport and counsel them. As mentioned before, identify their pain points and alter your approach accordingly. Platforms with LMS features make communication easier when it comes to online teaching.
4.Games
You heard that right. You can use apps like Kahoot, to create games and quizzes. This will act as a memory game and help students to remember what they learned. Games and quizzes are in no way a waste of time. Just ensure to pick games that won’t cause students to lose focus and you are good to go. Playing games will also help in taking the stress off of your students.
5.Mutual Evaluation
Have students conduct tests and ask them to exchange it between themselves and grade it. Now that more and more coaching centers have moved online, the question of how to conduct tests online might spring up. Research on the platform that you are going to use to conduct online teaching. If you are opting for a holistic one like Teachmint, everything is available under one roof and there’s no room for worry. When students prepare their own tests, they will get a chance to look at the lessons from an examiner’s point of view. This will widen their horizons and help them in the long run.
6.Practice Test
A practice test may sound obvious and cliche, but it can work wonders. Ask your students to view the practice test equivalent to the exam. When they face the tension of an exam hall and the confusion surrounded the questions beforehand, they will be more confident when they attend their exams. This is an amazing study tip. If you are in no position to take a practice test, discuss the previous year’s question papers in class, and try to cast away the tension.
When students prepare for exams there are a thousand things that go through their minds. They search for study tips, they want to memorize everything they have learned, they want to pass the exam and more!! Let your students know that failing an exam is not the end of the world, that way you can take the fear off of their mind. Creating a classroom environment that is encouraging and peaceful is essential. If you have not yet read our blog on classroom management, read it here.
Mental Health During Exams
Mental health is often looked over by a lot of people. As tutors, you have the responsibility to ensure that your students don’t go through a lot of stress and tension, which may lead to depression. When students prepare for exams, they might undergo a lot of stress and tension. The recent reforms brought by the Govt. of India proposes to have counseling systems in educational institutions. This was a much-needed reform. To know more about the reforms that NEP brought in, check out our blog on NEP and the future of education.
Coming back to mental health during exams, here are 5 tips that you can give your students to help them.
1.Set digestible goals
Ask your students not to panic and to divide their large portions into small, bite-sized chunks. This will help in relieving the stress that they may face during exam time. When they set goals and achieve it, they will automatically be happy and this is much needed during exams.
2. Send them positive vibes
No, not the good morning, good night messages. Send them positive quotes and fill them with optimism. If you are in the classroom, have sticky notes with encouraging words on it. If it’s a virtual classroom, start the class with a positive attitude and on a positive note.
3.Meditate
India is known for Yoga and meditation. Why not incorporate them into your classroom? Studies show that meditation can relax the mind and the nerves and during exams, the last thing you need is a stressed mind.
4.Take a break
As your students prepare for exams, ask them to take a break, do something that they love, listen to songs, or whatever it is that they do for fun. Taking a break is essential to productive study. Studies show that taking breaks from studying every ninety minutes or so can improve both the focus and attention span.
Here’s a bonus section for the students and parents. Here are a few study tips to help you through the exam time.
Study Tips for Exams
- As you prepare for exams, find a good space to study, preferably away from windows, since you might get distracted by the noise and the view.
- Once you find your space, organize the study space. Gather all the books, study material, and resources such as pen, pencil, water, and likewise so that you don’t have to get up and interrupt yourself.
- Put that phone away. Use a laptop if you need the internet and in case if you have to have your phone by the side, turn off notification from IM apps and other apps that may cause a disturbance.
- Quite a lot of people ask how to increase memory, the best way is to use the visualizing method and the chain events method. Visualizing, as the name suggests is a way of picturing whatever you and learning. Chain events method is creating a story around what you have studied and connecting various events like a chain. If you are learning Macbeth, imagine his valor and strength and picture him so that you can easily write a character appreciation in your exam.
In addition to the tricks and tips discussed in this article, there are a lot of other things that you can do to improve your student’s mental state during exams and to lend a helping hand. Online teaching is no piece of cake and with interactions dropping, exams can be hard for students. Ensure to choose an online platform that facilitates easy communication and interaction.
Teachmint is one of the leading education infrastructure providers in the country. With our advanced learning management system, you can improve the teaching-learning experience. Our offerings like education erp, admission management system, fee management system, and others conveniently digitize educational institutions.